News & Features

February 2, 2012

A group of island leaders and cyclists have renewed a push to carve out a multi-use bike path alongside the Newport Secondary Rail Line.

A group of island leaders and cyclists have renewed a push to carve out a multi-use bike path alongside the Newport Secondary Rail Line.

By Tom Shevlin

NEWPORT – The Newport Secondary Rail Line slices through the city with ease.

From the historic Point to the base of the Mount Hope Bridge and through the pastures of the exclusive Carnegie Abbey Club, the line traces a narrow 14-mile path along the west side of Aquidneck Island on its way to the northern edge of Portsmouth.

A relic of the past for most; a key – if elusive – piece of the island's future to others.  

On a recent blustery Saturday, a small group of public officials and cycling enthusiasts climbed aboard the parlor car of the Old Colony & Newport Railway and set out for what the volunteer organization calls its "long ride."

Warmed by a cast iron pot belly stove, the 15 or so passengers chatted, took in the view, and dreamed about the possibility of one day seeing bicyclists pedaling out the window. Among those riding the rails on this day were Evan Smith, CEO of the Newport and Bristol County Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Art Weber, Middletown Town Council president, Portsmouth Town Planner Gary Crosby, and Newport Hospital's Bart Grimes.

The outing was organized by Bike Newport founder Bari George, who has rekindled the idea of creating a mixed use corridor along the rail line that could accommodate cyclists from Newport to Portsmouth.

It's a concept that's been visited upon before but with little success.

As Peter Martin, a former member of the city's Planning Board and current state Representative reflects on his website, StacyHouse.com,  "When I retried (in 2000), I realized that one of the major problems in Newport is the isolation which resulted with the construction of the Newport Bridge in 1968, of the North End from the center of the city."

Indeed, when the state constructed the Pell Bridge interchange and America's Cup Avenue, it was done so to connect one end of the island to the other. What it did was divide a community.

Being a self-proclaimed 'old retired guy' at the time, Martin started a community survey regarding the feasibility of converting the Newport Secondary Track, particularly from the Depot to the Fourth Street Diner, into a shared rail corridor and a bike path / pedestrian walkway.

He posted the information on his website, and the results are still there. And while they – and other studies conducted in ensuing years – have shown overwhelming support for converting the rail line into a shared use corridor, as the city and state grapple with other, more pressing needs, the rail-bike path has been sidelined as a low priority project.

February 2, 2012

Latest Comments

  • BIKE PATH + MONORAIL - WITH GAMBLING!

    I say let's build a MONORAIL with a bike path below it! And here's the best part - we can fund it by having the MONORAIL feature full casino gaming! They can even build a connection that goes from Hoffman's Steak House to the Jai Alai!

    Posted by FRED SULLIVAN April 16, 2012 14:35:59

  • Bike path, then commuter rail

    Coming from NYC, I've seen the economic benefits a well designed bike path can bring. The best known example is Manhattan's West Side, but a similar project is unfolding in Brooklyn. Both projects have resulted in a big boost in property values and development. The change in New York took less than 15 years.

    For the longer term, city planners in RI should be looking at a regional rail plan that extends commuter rail service down the west side of Aquidneck Island to Newport. This would represent a substantial investment for the state, but it's one that would pay real dividends in the future.

    Posted by Rob April 16, 2012 14:11:41

  • really love to see this happen

    Think outside the box - there has to be a way to make this happen for much less than $24M. That's just crazy. My backwards hometown has converted many miles of abandoned railway to bike paths. This is New England; I expect better. http://greatermemphisgreenline.org/

    Posted by webb March 05, 2012 11:03:31

  • bike path great idea, but funding??

    Almost all Rhode Islanders like to visit the Newport area and the idea of a bike path along the shore would be a great addition. And praise is due those who went on the trip to call attention to this possibility. And thanks are ue to Reprsentative Martin for being helpful as his Stte House conections might help adance the project.
    Unfortunately, the state is currently developing its next 4-year transportation plan, and though there is a long wish-list of desired projects, neither Newport nor Portsmouth submitted any proposals for such a bike path to be included in the plan. Further, the US Republican-dominated US House of Representatives is crafting a transportation bill that is intended to eliminate any Federal funding assistance for bike and pedestrian facilities (also it largely cuts out transit and rail assistance) and though such a bill cannot get through the Senate and President Obama, it does make future funding of such a project more doubtful.

    Posted by barry February 03, 2012 11:46:19

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